Orihime and the Seven Hollows
by starlightwraith
Summary: Ishihime AU: Princess Orihime will soon turn 16, making her eligible for becoming Queen of Hueco Mundo. Unfortunately Lord Aizen has plans to kill her and make his temporary rule permanent. With 7 loveable misfits at her side can she fight 10 ruthless espada & 3 ex-shinigami captains and reclaim her kingdom? All while winning the heart of a certain spectacled Quincy? Please review!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everybody! This is my first adaptation of a fairy tail so it's probably going to start out a little shaky. But don't worry. It will get better, I promise!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**

Once upon a time, in the land of Hueco Mundo, there lived a beautiful princess. She had hair the color of an autumn evening, eyes the color of the sky at dusk, and skin as pale as the forever shining moon of Hueco Mundo. She was the most beautiful creature in the land. She was always featured at least once a week on "Hollows Magazine" and fashion companies like Cosmohollowtan always used her face as their model because in their customer's feverish desires to resemble her, they would exhaust themselves on their beauty products under the false impression that they would make them resemble her (of course this was untrue because no hollow could ever dream of attaining her standard of beauty. But that wouldn't stop the consumers from trying as hard as they could) The reason why Orihime was so beautiful was because she was a human.

Of course all hollows were once human, and arrancars obviously resemble them. But Orihime was not the spirit of a dead human, nor was she a hollow who had managed to remove her mask. Orihime was a living human who was descended from a royal family of humans who had ruled Hueco Mundo for many centuries. Each generation produced a ruler whose job was to control the number of hollows who resided in Hueco Mundo (whenever there were too many, some had to be sent into the World of the Living in order to maintain the sacred balance) and protect the Hogyaku. The hogyaku was a magical crystal which separated the boundary between Hollows and soul reapers. Soul reapers were spirits of the dearly departed whose job was to send refugees from the world of the living and Hollows exiled there, into the Soul Society, a kingdom neighboring Hueco Mundo.

The hogyaku could also be used to create Arrancar. Only the most powerful of all hollows got to be subjected to the hogyaku in order to become arrancars. And each year, anybody who wished to become one could submit their name followed by a list of the "progress" they had made. And the current ruler would confer with the ten nobles*, and his royal advisers, a trio of exiled Soul Reapers over which hollows were the most qualified to become arrancars. Then, each year in the Festival of Masks, the names of fifty hollows would be announced in an enormous podium. The chosen fifty, would step into the limelight, and the audience could experience the thrill of watching their masks get ripped off and begin to take a new shape. This ceremony was a huge affair in Hueco Mundo. Bets were placed over which hollows would get chosen. The event was riddled with excitement, anticipation, and fun. In a land like Hueco Mundo, where boredom was the norm, this festival was quite the buzz. However, the Hogyaku was quite a serious device and should it fall into the wrong hands, danger and chaos would spring like weeds.

Orihime lived in the castle of Las Noches with her Brother Sora, the Prince of Hueco Mundo. It was his job to control the kingdom, maintain the balance, and create arrancar. He was kind and just and despite the fact that he was a human, the hollows of Hueco Mundo were quite content under his rule. He established government funded public schools, a series of vital trade routes, boosted nationalism appointed diplomats to go into the Soul Society and negotiate peaceful treaties with the soul reapers and gave rights to all hollows, whether they be single-souled, gillians, adhuchas, or vasto lordes*. Never before had Hueco Mundo been so peaceful and functioning, and never before had it been on such good terms with the soul society.

Sora was loved by all of his subjects but not a single one of them could hold a candle to the love his sister had for him. He was her whole world. Not to mention her moon and her stars. She adored him with every fiber of her being and he loved her right back. Ever since their parents had died, he had spoiled her rotten, sparing no expense for her, and never being too busy to spend time with her. Orihime could not remember a single happy memory in her mind that didn't contain her beloved brother. Even though she had a legion of ladies in waiting and the nobles, her relationship with her servants felt superficial and the nobles spent all their time in their own sections of the palace. She only saw them when she spied on her brother's meetings with them (which weren't very frequent) and during the Hogyaku ceremony. All in all, her relationship with her brother was really the only solid one she had.

However, this did not mean that she distanced herself from her subjects. She loved to go on carriage rides with her brother throughout the streets and see the smiling faces of the common hollows as they lined up to say hello, delighted in giving charity to the poor and less fortunate, and always made it her business to know the status of her subjects and whether or not they were content. By the time she was thirteen, Orihime was a bubbly vivacious little girl who treated every day like a gift.

However, things were about to take a turn for the worst. For rumors of a hideous monster that had been plaguing the land soon found their way to the castle doors. Supposedly, in the Forest of Menos, a gillian breeding ground in the eastern region of Hueco Mundo there was a hideous rogue hollow unlike any other, causing destruction on a level that had never been achieved by any other hollow in history. The moment the Prince's ears caught a whiff of the rumors he took it upon himself to go to the Forest of Menos himself in order to investigate. Orihime nearly had a panic attack when she learned her brother was going into the forest of Menos, one of the most dangerous undocumented areas of the kingdom. She threw herself at her brother's feet and wept so pitifully that all of the nobles (who were in the room at the time) looked away uncomfortably. And although her brother's heart felt as though it was being torn to shreds, his obligation to his people forcefully peiced it back together. So with a fragile heart, and a shaky voice, he hugged Orihime to his chest until his arms felt limp, and promised her he would return in three days time.

Unfortunately, his promise turned to ashes because after six months, Orihime was still void of his presence. In a fit of hysteria, she had dispatched search party after search party to the Forest of Menos, in the hopes of finding information about her brother, but none returned. After a long period of denial, she was forced to accept the fact that her brother had most likely been devoured by the beast. She didn't know how she would continue living without him by her side.

Unfortunately, for Orihime, her problems were only beginning. The Council of Three (aka the soul reapers who were in charge of advising her brother) had been gleefully awaiting an opportunity like this for a period that exceeded Orihime or her brother's lifespan. They were tired of the portion of power they received as advisers and wanted a bigger dosage. Now that the Prince was out of the way, they could fully take charge. Since Orihime was too young to take on the business of running a country, the Council of Three declared themselves "Head Regents" The oldest regent took on the title "Lord Aizen" and the other two were henceforth known as "Director-General Tosen" and "Director-General Gin" With the help of the nobles (who resented Sora as much as they did) they completely changed the laws and government, establishing a Hollows-Hiearchy with arrancars and vasto lordes at the top, adhuchas in the middle, and Gillians and single-souled hollows at the bottom. They overtaxxed the common hollows, in order to fun their lavish lifestyles, draining them of all their money, which forced them to borrow money from the nobles and become minimum wage serfs who worked for them with no hope of ever paying off their debt. Anybody who was caught complaining about the new regime would be sentenced to an execution.

The Council and the nobles shut away Orihime, keeping her in a metaphorical golden cage. Aizen forbade her from ever leaving the castle or even stepping foot onto the grounds. Orihime was too depressed over her brother's supposed death to protest this new enforcement at the time and shut herself away into her room, apathetic and blind to the events unfolding around her. It was a long time before she realized that her brother would not have wanted her to waste away pining over him and that it was her duty to her subjects to put on a brave face and keep moving forward. Slowly but surely, her old self began to return. Unfortunately, by then Aizen and the nobles had completely ravaged the country. The happy cheerful Hueco mundo Orihime grew up in was no more.

*Gillians are created when a series of ordinary hollows are brought together by a lust for cannibalism. Then, the strongest hollow of the bunch takes full control of the newly formed Gillian's consciousness and begins to eat other gillians until it evolves into an adhucha. But adhuchas must constantly be eating and killing other hollows, or else they will devolve into gillians again and will never be able to change. Most adhuchas will stop increasing in power after a certain point, destined to remain adhuchas forever. But a lucky few have no such restrictions and can keep growing in power until they become vasto lordes, incredibly powerful hollows who are the closest a hollow can get to resembling a human without the Hogyaku.

*Espada


	2. Orihime's Request

Orihime stared out the slim window of her sleeping quarters at the eternally pitch black sky, with only the faintest glimmer of light from the moon illuminating the scene. She was so used to the still life outside that she didn't really need to look. A mental visualization wouldn't have made any difference. It wasn't like the updated image would be any different. Not that there was much to see. At least if there was, Orihime couldn't. The dim light of the moon barely set the boundary line for her between the desert it overlooked and a window painted black.

What had once been an interconnected series of several beautifully furnished chambers had now been reduced to a single room containing a suspended wooden cot, and an inlet that barely contained the chamber pot within. Upon entering this room, one could see their reflection peering down at them from an incredibly narrow sliver of a window pane several meters up high, embedded in the opposing wall. In order to be able to obtain the proper viewing experience from it, you would have no choice but to stand as far behind as you could and tilt your neck back until you felt it would snap off your shoulders. Orihime was used to this sensation. She had experienced it so much for the past two years, the tendons in her neck had developed quite a flexibility. It wasn't like there was anything else to do besides stare out the window. Orihime could always leave the room and go exploring the castle. But it would be impossible to do so without encountering a servant who would quickly usher her back to her room, reminding her of Lord Aizen's orders. Around the time her brother vanished, his trusted chief-adviser had diagnosed her with incredibly poor health, blaming it on her depression after her brother's disappearance and the living conditions of her bedroom suite. Despite her feeble protests, he quickly assigned her a new bedroom "which was sturdier" and urged her to lie in bed until her illness passed. He hadn't exactly forbidden her from leaving it, but if he ever crossed paths with her when she sneaked out, or if she asked permission to walk on the grounds of Las Noches or visit one of the villages, he would calmly yet firmly say that doing so was an unwise idea, lest she jeopardize her well-being. If she ever insisted that she was starting to feel better, he would sadly shake his head and express his despair over the fact that her fever had affected her mental condition so much to the point where she really believed that she was better despite her ghastly appearance. Orihime would then feel so apprehensive that she would zoom back to bed. Aizen insisted that her meals be brought to her and her ladies in waiting were ordered to come and bathe her every morning. As a result, she never really left the room very much.

"But today is going to be different" Orihime said to herself, confidently.

"I really truly feel better now! And today I'm finally going to do it! I'm going to ask Lord Aizen! Now that it's my sixteenth birthday, he'll_ have_ to say yes! I'm sure of it! I can feel it in my bones!"

With a reassuring smile at her reflection, she assertively nodded and swiveled around to the door. Firmly grasping the handle, she zoomed out like a speeding cero, drunk on the rush of adrenaline she felt at the mock sensation of doing something forsaken.

"I hope one of the fracciones don't catch me!" thought Orihime.

"Or even worse, Ulquiorra"

Lord Ulquiorra was one of the espada nobles. Holding the fourth rank for power and prestige, he was one of Aizen's favorite ministers. Yet despite the ownership of this coveted favor that many had (supposedly) died in a (fruitless) attempt to attain, he was one of the most melancholy people Orihime had ever met. The white part of his overlarge, green eyes seemed to be dyed scarlet from (presumably) crying and his clammy, grayish skin gave off the impression that he was a reanimated cadaver. His voice was etched with the resonance of a thousand eternally tormented sinners and every time he spoke, Orihime felt like all the warmth in her body was being drained at an alarming rate. On one occasion he caught her trying to play outside her room. When, he obstinately insisted that she go back, she was foolish enough to try to run past him. He was standing right outside the doorway of the room she tried to hide in. Almost like he had been waiting for her to run in. He did not give off the slightest impression that he was short of breath or sweaty. It was as though he had disappeared into thin air and materialized right outside.

"Lord Aizen would prefer it if you remained within your chambers" He had said with a sharp but subtle malicious edge in his monotonous voice.

"I will not say this again"

Orihime was so shaken by the unnerving ordeal that she refused to leave her chamber for three months.

"Even Sora hated him" She thought to herself as she raced along the corridors

"The only reason he was even made an espada was because Lord Aizen insisted. He must have called in every single favor my family ever owed him in order to get my brother to agree"

"I really hope I don't run into him. Or worse; I hope he hasn't seen me without me knowing!"

The thought of the possibility of Ulquiorra following her was enough to slow Orihime's running down to a power walk and she could feel her knees going limp. Perhaps it would be a better idea to just go back to her room... what she wanted wasn't really_ that _important...

"NO!" She thought fiercely, summoning every last ounce of willpower she had as she walked towards the council chambers.

"I've waited two years for this. And I'm going to turn sixteen now. I'm-I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm going to be a lady. And Ulquiorra can't tell a lady what to do-right? Oh, what am I thinking? He'll be in the meeting room with the other Espada. I don't have anything to worry about yet"

Upon that thought, Orihime came to the realization that she was in front of the entrance to the council chamber. Every single fear that she was harboring in her mind about her future actions came lurching up her throat. She instinctively placed a hand over her mouth in a desperate urge not to vomit. As she leaned against the surrounding wall, she steadied herself, harvesting every last ounce of courage in her heart. Even the smallest amount could mean the difference.

She pressed her back against the wall and strained her hearing. Lord Aizen and the espada were in a meeting. They always were at this time. All she had to do was wait until it ended. Aizen would b the first to exit. And then she would have her chance.

"You can do this Orihime" She whispered comfortingly

"...you can do this Orihime...you can do it. You just have to wait for your chance..."

"Aaahhhh"

Orihime felt her skin go limp as she opened her eyes. Peering up at her was a scrawny, adolescent boy with straw colored hair, a scattering of freckles across his cheeks and nose, and buck teeth.

"Oh no" Moaned Orihime, silently.

"Not you, Wonderweiss"

Wonderweiss was Director-General Tosen's page boy. He was an orphaned hollow who had been pitied and turned into an arrrancar. This was highly unusual, as only the hollows chosen during the Festival of Masks were legible. To give a poor, single-souled hollow the honor was unheard of. Perhaps it was this reason that the Hogyaku had malfunctioned halfway through the process and left the boy mentally impaired and incapable of comprehensive speech. Despite this, he was permitted to remain within Las Noches as a servant. He had ended up taking a shine to Tosen and the regent had taken him under his wing. Wonderweiss trailed after the dark-skinned Director-General wherever he went and it was for this reason that he was allowed to be in the Meeting Room.

"Aaaaaaaaaah" cooed the arrancar again.

"Please be quiet, Wonderweiss" pleaded Orihime as silently as she could.

"I don't want Lord Aizen to know I'm here yet"

If Wonderweiss understood what Orihime was saying, he gave no sign of it. Instead, he simply crouched down and began chewing on the hem of her dress.

"Wonderweiss, please stop that!" Begged the Princess, trying to yank her clothing out of reach. Unfortunately, he efforts were in vain and it was as if she was trying to yank her apparel out of quicksand.

"Please!"

"What is this?" came a cool voice .

The princess immediately forgot about her attempts to free her clothing and straightened her back like it was automatic.

"L-Lord Aizen!" She squeaked!

"I'm sorry to disturb you. I was waiting outside for you to finish your meeting because I wanted to talk to you and I didn't want to be rude and interrupt so I waited for you to go out because I knew you would be the first to leave the waiting room and then I tried to-"

"You have already interrupted me. Tell me what it it you want" Aizen cut through her prattle like a knife of sugar.

"Umm.. sorry-again. But um...you see. I't's my sixteenth birthday"

"I am already aware"

"So...I guess this means that I'm of age..."

"You have not guessed incorrectly. What does this inference make you think it's safe to assume?"

"Well...I was wondering...if maybe I could attend the Festival of Masks this year? I haven't seen it for two years...and I really want to go... I miss the bright colors and the singing and the dancing...it's so beautiful and fun. Now that I'm sixteen..." the Princess trailed off, hoping that her previous points would be enough to support her argument

"Orihime" Said Aizen in a voice that sounded kind, but was highlighted with a metalic edge.

"Yes...Lord Aizen?"

"Do you recall what my orders were regarding you?"

"Umm.. stay in the castle until my health improves?"

"And which physician inserted the lie that states aging results in recovery into your head?"

"Ummm...I just assumed that now-"

"What makes you think that your well-being would not be compromised in a crowded street full of common hollows?"

"Well..."

"In conclusion, my dear, I see no reason for you to risk your precious life simply because it is a holiday. I don't care if it is your thousandth birthday. I will not allow my pride and joy to leave this castle. I promised your brother that I would look after you. And that is what I intend to do until my last breath. I surely hope for your brother's sake that you want me to break a promise I made to the dead?" Aizen raised an eyebrow in a single, fluid motion.

Orihime felt as though her entire body were crumbling to dust. All of a sudden she was hit with a tsunami of guilt and shame that nearly issued a reappearance for her breakfast. She hung her head, well aware of the Espadas's condescending stares boring through her. She would not have been surprised if she found a series of hollow holes throughout her body when she was changing her clothes.

"Ok" She whispered, trying to hold back the tears with every fiber of her being. She couldn't bare to remain in the meeting room for a second longer. If she did, the Espada would see her cry.

She whirled around and marched away from the room at full speed, desperately trying to keep her composure. In the midst of all her shame and despair, she heard an amused voice say "Way to put a damper on the girl's spirit's Aizen. You really can be a stone heart sometimes." She recognized it as native to Director-General Gin.

SHe knew that she was supposed to return to her sleeping quarters but for some reason, she found herself instinctively walking past them. Ifshe returned, she knew she would find her ladies-in-waiting there, with an arsenal of cutting remarks about her sneaking out. And she just wasn't ready for that yet. If she was going to be able to face Loly and Menoly, then she was going to need a place to gather her courage. And that place was the kitchen. Ever since her brother's disappearance, it had been her one refuge in the castle. The only place where she could escape Aizen, Gin, Tosen, the Espada, and their fracciones. None of them would enter it because they refused to be in the same room with the ordinary servants. But Orihime didn't care about that.

She walked through the doors and was overwhelmed by the familiar scent of pastries and kindness. She closed her eyes as she exhaled the aura of comfort.

"Hello Dear. What brings you to this part of Las Noches?" Came a motherly voice.

Orihime opened her eyes to find a plump, friendly looking froglike hollow named Mary. She was one of the cooks and the closest thing Orihime ever had to a mother. She had also been her nanny when she was a baby. She had also been Sora's nanny, and her parents. In fact, nobody could ever remember a time when she hadn't looked after the royal family. Legend had it that the three advisors were nowhere near as old as she was. For the past couple of years, she was the only constant in Orihime's life and the only one she could ever find solace in.

At the sight of her beloved ex-nurse, Orihime felt her emotional barriers shatter like ice and the tears came flooding out before she had time to take a breath. She felt so overwhelmed that she really did fall to her knees.

"There, there" muttered Mary softly.

"Tell your old Mary what's the matter. She's here to listen"

Orihime was crying so hard that she couldn't even form any words out of her mouth. She tried to speak but every time she opened her mouth, her throat would get clogged up with emotion and she would just end up letting out more sobs.

Mary understood Orihime's grief and simply wrapped her arms around her.

"Whenever you're ready to talk, my dear. "

After what seemed like an eternity, the princess finally managed to form coherent words with her mouth again. Finally, with the help of willpower and deep inhalations, she managed to spit out the story of what happened in the Meeting Room.

"That bastard, Aizen" Snapped Mary irritably.

"He's got the whole of Hueco Mundo under the impression that your a sickly little waif who drops by Death's home every day for a game of cards. He's so good with deceit that he's got you believing it as well"

Orihime looked up puzzled.

"I'm sorry Orihime but it's high time that you grew out of all this "poor health" nonsense that Aizen's spooning down your throat. Don't you think that if you were ill then you would have felt a symptom or two by now?"

"Lord Aizen says that my problems are in my soul. I have a low spiritual pressure. He can sense it. He says that the only way that I can restore it is by getting lots of rest-"

"**Tish-Tosh!**" Exclaimed Mary.

"I can sense your spiritual pressure right now, and let me assure you it's at a level that is _perfectly normal_ for a girl your age! Aizen's just telling you that so that you can be confined to your chamber while he's free to rule Hueco Mundo however he pleases!"

"Mary, you mustn't say that about Lord Aizen!" Cried Orihime. Everybody knew that every inch of Las Noches was equipped with security cameras. If Mary was heard talking about Lord Aizen like that, she could receive a serious penalty.

"Oh, let the slippery old pike come after me! I'm dieing to give him a sample of my cero. Just let him try to take me out. I'm actually looking forward to it!" Sputtered Mary.

"Orihime, do you know why I continue to work for that conniving scoundrel year after year? _What in the world_ is stopping me from going to the world of the living and putting in a request for a Zanpakuto?"

Orihime blushed, stupidly.

"I-I don't know"

"It's because one of these days, you are going to take back your kingdom and_ I want a front row seat when you do!_"

Orihime blushed, too stunned by her nursemaid's change of discourse to say anything.

"Let me tell you something, young lady. It's time you saw what Aizen is doing to your people. You've been living in a sheltered bubble for these past years, oblivious to his effects on the kingdom. You need to get out there and see for yourself. No, I'm not talking about the city where all the high-status arancar snobs live-oh_ they're doing just fine! I'm talking about the nearby villages._ In fact, you_ owe it t_o your subjects to witness their lives first hand. Nobody in Las Noches is going to tell you the truth so it's up to you!"

"But-but how would I get there? Lord Aizen wouldn't allow it"

"Aizen wouldn't _like it_ if you did so. But there's really nothing he could do about it! You are the princess of Hueco Mundo. It is your duty to be up-to-date with your subject's living conditions! He can't bloody tell you not to do your royal duties. And no matter what half brained excuse he has about your spirit energy, he doesn't have the power to forbid you to do anything! For the love of Mike, YOU'RE THE PRINCESS! HE'S JUST A REGENT LEFT IN CHARGE OF GOVERNING UNTIL YOU ARE OF AGE! HE HAS NO FRINKING AUTHORITY OVER YOU WHATSOEVER! WHY IS THAT SUCH A DIFFICULT CONCEPT?"

Orihime was so startled by this random change in her usually, soft spoken nurse's behavior that she could do nothing but numbly nod.

"I'll go get ready"


	3. Escape

"WHAT?" Shouted Orihime's handmaidens synonymously.

If their eyes could shoot ceros, then Orihime would have been nothing but a pile of ashes on the floor. She forced herself to look at them straight in the eyes and reminded herself that she was the one in control here.

"I am going to go to one of the nearby villages" The tremble in her voice wasn't gone.

"Are you a moron as well as ugly?!" The black haired one, Loly demanded to know. Of the two, she was the more hot tempered and informal with her.

"I-I'm just ad-min-is-ter-ing my duties as a princess" Recited Orihime

"But Lord Aizen has banned you from going" Protested Menoly. She had sandy, cropped hair and like her partner, a hollow hole over her eye.

"You think just cause you're the princess, you don't have to give a hoot about Lord Aizen's rules?" Leered Loly

"You think you're above the rest of us, huh? IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK!?"

Orihime felt like turning into mush on the spot and bursting into tears. But replaying Mary's conversation helped her find her counter argumment.

"Lord Aizen has merely...suggested that I...remain in Las Noches...I don't..umm..need to...and yes...my word...as the princess...of Hueco Mundo...does...actually...override...his own"

Loly was livid with fury at that point and flexed her arm to strike her. The princess shielded her face and braced herself for the consequential blow.

She waited for the point-blank pain to shoot through her body...but as the seconds evolved into a minute, she cautiously opened her eyes and peered at her attendant, unsure what to anticipate as the reason for her retreat from the attack.

Menoly was grabbing the Black haired arrancar's arm and restraining her back.

"You know...she's right..."

With an indignant huff, Loly pulled her arm back.

"ARE YOU FREAKING SIDING WITH HER?"

"Not exactly" Said Menoly uneasily.

"But technically she isn't being ordered by Lord Aizen to stay here. And I guess that even if she was...her decision could...override his...Lord Aizen is _really j_ust a seat warmer for her"

If Loly looked livid before, she was apoplectic now.

"YOU TRAITOROUS WITCH! HOW DARE YOU BADMOUTH LORD AIZEN LIKE THAT!"

"But it's sort of true" Protested Menoly (although she sounded as though her speech would soon be hindered with a series of violent upheavals)

"Lord Aizen _is_ only a regent who's serving in her place until she comes of age..." It was obvious that she wished this weren't the case.

Loly looked like she was going to release her zanpakuto right then and there. Orihime decided that it was time to continue her mission. SHe couldn't afford to waist anymore time on her servants.

"I-...er...I must be going...Please...do not inform anybody about...my actions...and I...um...I...f-forbid you...to tell...Lord Aizen...or any of the espada...about my wherabouts...I-I need you to pretend like I'm still here" She stuttered.

The arrancar maidens looked as though they had been robbed of a golden opportunity (Orihime was certain that they planned to tell Aizen about her plans and stop her before she even left) Shuffling off as quickly as she could before Loly could start berating her again, she hurried off to the palace gates

As Orihime walked towards the castle exit, she felt her heart gain a pound with each step she walked. Her breathing grew more and more ragged and every muscle in her body was screaming that it wasn't too late to turn around and go back to her room. But remembering the words Mary had said to her gave her strength.

As she neared the gate, the castle guards, concerned to begin with over the Princess's wandering around the castle looked more and more perplexed as she neared their watch post.

"And-what do you think you're doing? -Your highness" stammered one who was scrawny and hunchbacked with a series of long, gray, extensions coming out of her back with pinwheels at the end and a long, pointed mask.

"I'm-" Orihime inhaled for three seconds.

"I am going out"

"Can she do that" Stage whispered the second guard. He was the opposite of the first, huge and shapeless.

"I don't know" Whispered the other.

"Does Lord Aizen know?"

"Should we stop her?"

"_Can_ we stop her?"

Orihime was slightly offended by the guard's discussing her as though she were nonexistant but forced herself to take advantage of it instead by walking past them. She didn't bother to forbid them from telling Aizen. She knew that the punishment would extend to them for letting her go. That would be enough to keep them quiet.

As Orihime walked through the doors and felt the rushing whip of the night air sting her face, she threw back the hood of her cloak and gasped in a fit of exhilaration. She had done it! She had gone past the gates! She had left the castle! For the first time in years, she was outside!


	4. The Quincy Prince and the Adjuchas

As Orihime walked along the cold, desolate desert, she shivered and drew her cloak closer around herself. Her freedom-induced euphoria had long worn off and now the wooly garment of clothing was the only source of protection she had from the biting freeze. The cloak was coarse and rough, but was lined with wool and Orihime had never been more grateful in her life to wear a commoner's garb. The cloak had belonged to Mary, who had insisted that she wear it instead of one of her own, as they were all made of material well beyond the means of the villagers. If they saw a strange girl wearing one, she would be spotted like a hawk and recognized as the princess before she could bat an eye.

"So whatever you do, love, don't take off the hood" Warned Mary as she sent her out with a small basket of pies and a map to the nearest village, to help her with her journey

"It may seem hard to believe, but word gets around Hueco Mundo faster than a balla"

Orihime nodded obediently.

"And it's not just so that nobody reports back to Aizen" Continued Mary.

"The financial problems induced by Aizen and the lengthy absence of your presence has lead to the kingdom treating you as a sort of scapegoat, blaming you for all the problems going on. And these lower level hollows outside Hueco Mundo aren't known for the heads on their shoulders, either. They won't hesitate to attack you out of frustration and despair"

Orihime shuddered as she recalled Mary's words. Were the problems in Hueco Mundo so bad that the common people wouln't hesitate to attack her?

"They loved my brother" She remembered.

"And everytie I went with him to greet them they'd always be smiling and friendly and so happy"

She felt an immense weight of sadness as she formed this theory. The people had always been like family to her and she had always missed them and viewed them as a source of solace whenever Aizen was coming down on her. For the past two years, whenever she was feeling unhappy, she would remember them and seek refuge from her situation in the memories of them. But after all this time, did they really hate her?

Orihime felt a tear slide down her cheek-and suffered the consequences for it when the wind mercilessy whipped the wet flesh a thousand times, amplifying the bitter cold by a factor of a thousand. Orihime actually felt like her cheek was being sliced open. Gasping, she clutched her face.

"You don't have to cry anymore" rasped a harsh voice.

"In a few minutes you will not have anything to be sad about...as I will have put an end to your existence"

Orihime's heart shattered into a thousand pieces as she whirled around to see a massive adjuchas towering over her.

She was well aware that Arrancars only lived within the confines of Las Noches and that the lower level hollows did not look remotely human. But the last time she had seen one was years ago during a Festival of Masks, in which she had witnessed them in the audience or going to the Hogyaku. And even then, she had only seen them from distances. This was the first time she was standing face to face with one. And it would appear that the skewed proprtioning of her memories (that time does to all of us) had affected Orihime's sense of size. For she had no idea how huge an Adjuchas really was. And she was scared.

This one looked like a huge crocodile, nearly thirty feet long with a bizarrely long neck. It's mask was bone white and covered it's entire head, with tusks protruding downward. It's mask was two holes the size of her head and when Orihime looked into them, she felt as though she were being yanked into a swirling vortex of despair from which there was no return...

"What's a pretty little arrancar such as the likes as yourself doing outside of Las Noches?"

Orihime trembled, unaware how to answer without sounding suspicious. But for the most part, there was a smidgen of relief to be found in the fact that he thought she was an ordinary arrancar. She decided that her best option was to keep him under that impression.

But she barely had time to formulate this strategy when the Arrancar spoke again. It's voice hacked into her mind like a rusty machete.

"Don't answer that question. It was merely rhetorical. I was simply observing the niceties"

Even with it's mask encasing it's face, Orihime could tell that the creature was leering at her.

"Now that that's out of the way" Continued the adjuchas

"It's time I get down to buisness. I've never eaten an arrancar before and I'm curious to see how you'll influence my powers"

Orihime whimpered as the fear she hoped was irrational became a very rational one. In her heart of hearts, she didn't really think that she was in danger of being eaten. But was this adjuchas really going to eat her?

"I never really understood how hollows increased in power" Orihime thought as she came to a horrifying realization.

"Every time I asked my brother, he would just tell me that it was too horrible for a girl my age to know. And the same with Mary...Oh my goodness... do hollows really gain power...by ..._consuming other hollows?_"

A strangled gasp managed to escape her rapidly constricting throat. Her entire body seemed to slowly cave in on herself. A desire to vomit engulfed her

"Don't look so scared, my dear" Chuckled the adjuchas.

"You'll continue to live on...as a part of my consciousness. So don't view this as your end. View this as the beginning of a new existence. As a part of me"

The hideous thing threw back it's head and guffawed. It was a disgusting sound, reminiscent of a thousand sinners being tortured to death in hell.

"I have to run" Said a tiny part of Orihime's still functioning mind.

"I have to run or I'm going to die"

Feebly, she tried to uproot her feet from the sand, but she may as well have been turned to stone. Her halfhearted attempts soon turned into the reason for her existence, as she poured every last drop of energy and will power into trying to turn around and run. She_ had_ to. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else was relevant. She _had to_ run or...

"Whoooosh!" Orihime was suddenly jolted with startlement as a flash of light sailed past her and pierced the adjucha's mask, dead center. Orihime was able to adjust her eyes in the nick of time so that she could make out the shape of an arrow. But the moment she took in the shape, it exploded ,as well as the mask of the adjuchas. Moments later, it's entire body was swarmed by a black haze and when this disappeared, so had the later.

The entire ordeal had gone down in seconds and Orihime felt so stunned by it all. Her entire body seemed to have collapsed in on itself and her bones must have forgotten how to keep her up. Why else would she have slumped to her knees and crumbled into the sand. Then came the tears.

If Orihime hadn't been shocked and relieved, she might have felt tempted to scold her self for sobbbing on the ground like a three year old. But she couldn't stop. All her sense of reasoning had been deactivated and she felt reduced to a child. And children don't know better than when not to cry or how to stop.

Orihime was bawling so loudly and violently that she didn't hear the footsteps approaching her.

"Are you allright, Miss?" This new voice was unlike the voice of the obliterated adjuchas. Although it was slightly nasal, it was soft and gentle. Like it was still familiar with compassion and was not above dealing it out. There was something in it that made Orihime feel safe. A feeling that she hadn't genuinely experienced since her brother's passing.

Tentatively, she peered up at the voice's source. Kneeling down with a hand outstretched was a boy about her age. He had jet-black hair and stoney-blue eyes that were bluer than any shade Orihime had ever seen. They looked incredibly out of place in the dull desert. They were lightly masked by a pair of lenseless glasses. Like her, he was also completely humanoid and wore the standard white apparel of an arrancar. Perhaps the glasses were the remnants of his mask, like Szayel Aporro Granz, the Octavo espada-royal scientist. But unlike Szayel's they lacked the bones-white frames. Now that Orihime had come to her senses, she began to analyse his outfit. She was aware that no two arrancar's uniforms were similar, each one personalizing it to match their variety of quirky tastes. But this boy's uniform was on the verge of bizarre, even for an arrancar. He was wearing a long-sleeved dress-shirt and a cape that appeared to have it's majority sliced off. There was a blue belt around his waist, strapped on at an odd angle. and he had shoulder pads seemingly studded with rhinestones. She nodded her head to answer his question.

Suddenly, Orihime forgot about his attire as she remembered that if an arrancar was here in the desert, he was most likely a soldier from Las Noches sent to retrieve her. Aizen must have gotten wind of her escape, despite her precautions.

"Are you an arrancar?" Said the boy, curiously.

"I was under the impression that your kind didn't live outside of Las Noches"

Orihime gulped. If this boy didn't know that she was the princess of Hueco Mundo, and had simply thought that she was just an arrancar, how could he be a part of Aizen's army? Who was he?

"You-you aren't an arrancar too?" She asked curiously

The boy threw his head back slightly. He gave a huff of indignation.

"I am a Quincy prince!" He said hotly.

"This is the standard attire of a Quincy!"

Orihime gasped. When she was a little girl she had often heard legends of the Vandenreich, a mysterious kingdom shrouded in mystery. Little was known about it and Orihime didn't know much about it aside from the natives being called Quincies. But here was a Prince of that kingdom standing before her, in the flesh! She was getting all kinds of firsthand experiences today!

Remembering the common courtesy expected to display before royalty,Orihime got to her feet and dipped her head as part of a curtsy.

"A thousand pardons, your highness!" She fumbled.

"I had no idea that you were a Quincy. It's just that I-I thought your outfit looked just like the arrancar wardrobe! Be-because arrancars also wear white"

"WHAT!" yelped the boy.

"Are you telling me that arrancars have copied the Quincy's traditional white wardrobe! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!"

Orihime whimpered.

"I'm very sorry. But we can't have copied the quincys. Nobody knows anything about the Quincies in Hueco Mundo. And you're the first one I've ever seen here. Pardon me for asking-but why are you here? People usually don't come to Hueco Mundo"

The prince rubbed his temples

"I have come here acting as ambassador to the Quincy. I wish to go to Hueco Mundo to discuss the possibility of an alliance between our two kingdoms. If my sources are correct, then the current princess of Hueco Mundo is about the same age as myself and is waiting to come of age to take her place as rightful ruler soon. I plan to ask the current regent and legal guardian for her hand in marriage"

Orihime turned the color of her hair and placed a hand to her mouth. A fit of giggles began to tumble out of her mouth.

The prince didn't seem to notice.

"I have brought with me, my bodyguards; Yasutora Sado (you may call him Chad) and Ichigo Kurosaki, a substitute Soul Reaper"

He gestured behind him and Orihime's face turned even redder when she realized that she hadn't even noticed the dark-skinned giant and the orange haired boy in black standing behind him.

"I-I-it's a pleasure to meet you too!"

"Miss" Said the boy.

"Would you be willing to guide us into Las Noches? We have been traveling for many days and nights and we haven't been getting any closer to the castle than when we first set off. Perhaps with an arrancar who knows the landscape by our side, we could finally reach our destination. Not to mention the fact that you could teach us some customs of the arrancar"

Orihime was reminded of her escape from the castle with a pang. All kinds of scenarios involving Aizen asking what she was doing outside of the castle when she brought the newcomers filled her head.

"I'm terribly sorry! But I can't! I-I'm so sorry"

And with that she rushed off, ignoring the trio's feeble protests.


	5. The village

**Hey guys, so some of you might be wondering why I chose to change Orihime's love interest fro mIchigo to Uryu-well, I tryed but I couldn't really fit Ichigo in as a lover-I mean I don't really see him as royalty or anything. Uryu however, really is a Quincy Prince and somehow that made it easier. Sorry if anyone was anticipating Ichihime!**

Orihime was swept up so hard in a whirlpool of embarrassment, that if she hadn't taken that split second to remember the direction of the village, then she probably would have been wandering around aimlessly with no clue about how to get there or back to Las Noches.

"Marriage?" She giggled giddily.

"I've never even thought about that! Once I turn sixteen and become queen, I'll be eligible for marriage! _Marriage_?!"

"I was so excited about going outside that I never even thought about it!_ Marriage!?_"

"I wonder what he would be like as a husband?" Orihime wondered.

"He must be nice if he was willing to save me from that adjuchas? Right? Should I accept his proposal? Or maybe Lord Aizen will accept it on my behalf. Can he do that? Will he do it? Or does he have to wait for my permission? If he does, _should_ I agree?"

Orihime was so overcome with giddiness that she didn't even notice the change in scenery.

For about a half hour, she had seen nothing but sand and an occasional hollow-creature. Fortunately, adjuchas encounters were back to count-zero. But now she saw herself overlooking a sand dune- with little houses below!

"I've reached the village!" The princess cried before clamping a hand over her mouth, instinctively.

She quickly hurried down below to the hill and entered

She was totally unprepared for the sight she saw next

The hollows there were all rail thin and their bones could not have been more visible if their flesh had been ripped off. Their faces were gaunt and haggard and the look of hopelessness and utter despair in their eyes was terrifying. The circles under them were so thick and black that Orihime wasn't even sure if they were not painted on. The houses were little more than rocks slapped together with dried mud, covered with cloth. It was all really more like looking at a refugee camp then a village.

The princess couldn't believe her eyes. The stench of death was so strong, it took every ounce of her will not to vomit. People were nesting in tattered blankets scattered all over the place with not even a fire to keep them warm in the freezing cold night. There were so many chatters of teeth that it sounded like a numbing chorus. Orihime couldn't stop the tears from falling down her face as she heard a myriad of children's voices calling out for their parents. But it was what she saw next that stopped her dead in her tracks.

Lying in a heap was a family of four. For a wild moment, the princess thought that they were dead. But then, she heard moans and whimpers and discovered that they were hanging onto life by a thread. There was a woman and two children, Orihime noticed. They had such a high fever that their entire faces were soaked in sweat and their faces were a shade of red that was the most vibrant color in the village. Orihime's heart went out to the family and decided to offer them some of her water-until she realized that the fourth figure was the remains of what had once been a man. Disgust and horror overwhelmed her and she couldn't stop herself as she whirled around.

She couldn't stay here any longer.

As she power walked with the speed of a thousand back in the direction she came from, she found herself bumping into an old hollow with a mask shaped like a hexagon.

"What happened here!?" She blurted out.

"Why is the village like this?"

"Lord Aizen's taxes" droned the hollow, dazedly. It didn't seem fully conscious of it's surroundings.

"L-last time I checked, this place was beautiful and full of happiness!" Cried Orihime.

"You've been gone for so long"

Without another word, the princess ran back to Las Noches, her mind reeling from the terror she had witnessed.


	6. A Plan

Orihime slithered back into the castle, worried to the core that Aizen would be waiting at the gates for her or one of the espada. Yet, fortunately she managed to return without an army of guards waiting for her and when she sneaked back in, Aizen was not standing before her, asking about her trip. She scuttled back to the kitchen uneventfully, every single sound putting her on pins and needles. At last, after what seemed like an eternity, she found herself back in the kitchen, her desired destination.

"Orihime!" cried Mary as she burst in. The princess would find herself gratefully thanking her lucky stars for not having to look for her or ask the other servants for her wherabouts upon entering. There was no way her voice would have held up.

The pudgy cook's pleasant face became lined with worry when she got a good look at Orihime's face.

"Good heavens! You look like you've seen a ghost! Well, you probably have, considering the fact that you're in Hueco Mundo, but still! I didn't think your trip would have been that-"

Orihime wasn't really paying attention to Mary's inane prattle anymore. Wanting to get her point across, she numbly gestured toward an empty section of the kitchen. The kindly servant was sharp enough, and knew Orihime well enough to realize what she meant.

"Of course dear, let's go in there and you can tell me all about your little excursion"

She put her hand over her waist and sheperded her in.

The moment Orihime heard the door behind her click shut, she broke down like a brick wall. Every single emotion she had ever felt since the beginning of her trip came bursting out of her like water out of a dam.

"There, there" Cooed Mary soothingly as Orihime bawled like a baby in her arms.

It was a very long time before Orihime's mouth was able to enunciate words that weren't clogged up by her sobs. But there was nothing to filter out her emotions.

"The village was horrible!"She cried.

"People are starving and there are so many orphans crying for their parents! Everybody's bones are sticking out and they don't even have blankets or good housing conditions and it was so sad! I can't believe that this is one of the villages Sora used to take me to when I was little! Everybody was miserable and hungry and I can't believe that this is what their life is like now-"

At this point, Orihime's speech became canceled as she was seized with another fit of crying.

Mary sighed, forlornly "I didn't think that you'd like what you'd see but it your doing so was necessary"

"You needed to see what Aizen was doing to the people of Hueco Mundo for youself. Otherwise you'd have never believed it. Who would?"

"B-But how could he do this to the people?"

"He taxes the living daylights out of them in order to fund his lavish parties and almost all of their resources are shipped straight to the palace, free of charge"

"He doesn't even let them keep their crops?"

"Barely enough to keep them alive"

Orihime was so overwhelmed by the horrifying reality that she burst out crying again.

"Allright, that's enough tears for one day" Said the elderly hollow, sympathetically but firmly.

"I was hoping to save this present for your birthday, but it looks like I might need to whip it out now. I can't stand seeing you sad. Curse my bleeding heart for it"

Mary retreated out of the room and walked up to a small cupboard. From inside her apron, she retracted a key that she used to unlock it.

Orihime watched curiously as Mary reached into the cupboard and withdrew a small, white box.

"Your brother entrusted me with this until you came of age" Said Mary as she handed it to her.

Excitedly, Orihime took off the lid and gasped with delight.

Inside the box, nestled amongst lavender tissue paper, was a pair of two beautiful hairpins. They were robin's egg blue and intricately shaped like flowers with five, beautifully exquisite petals. In the center of each one was a dainty crystal.

"Oh Mary!" Whispered the awed Princess.

"This is the shun-shun-rika" Said Mary.

"They're a family heirloom of yours that have been passed down to the females of each generation"

"Sora never told me about this"

"That's because it is an Inoue tradition that the current princess receives them on the eve of her sixteenth birthday as a surprise.

"Your brother was a cautious man and on the off chance that he- left" Mary faltered, seeing Orihime's sad expression.

"I was to be the one in charge of entrusting them to you. I hope he won't be too hacked off about my advance in timing but your happy smile means more to me than some stupid precise timing"

Orihime giggled a little (embarrassingly) at Mary's rudeness

"These heirlooms are said to contain magic powers" Mary lectured.

"Now I don't know what those may be, since I've never taken a shine to hair ornaments (frivolous and unnecessary in my opinion) but why don't we put them in your hair and find out, eh?"

The princess nodded.

Mary took each one and used it to tuck some stray hair away behind her ears.

"Now let's see your pretty face" She smiled as she led her to a bucket of water.

Orihime smiled as she saw her reflection. She wondered what sort of powers the Shun-Shun-Rika might have.

"You'd better get back to your room before Aizen realizes that you're gone. You've been sneaking about long enough and what with another one of his cursed balls coming up, the place is crawling with servants prepping. Any one of them could see you "

Orihime was jolted out of her reverie.

"What?"

"Oh that's right, you just got back" Said Mary.

"His royal pain-in-the-butt is trying to schmooze some visiting Prince by throwing a party"

Orihime suddenly remembered the spectacled boy in the desert. Her eyes widened as she was jolted with a plan.

"That's it! I'll go to the ball tonight and speak to the Prince! I bet he has a huge army back in the Vandenreich that can be used to save the people from Aizen's reign of terror! Oh! I'll go and get ready!"

With that, Orihime turned tail and flitted back towards her room.

Mary smiled a mixture of wistfullness and pride.

"That girl's a member of the royal family, through and through. I just hope that she doesn't get herself caught"


End file.
